The Beginning of Change
by Aerois
Summary: Jamie had always convinced himself that he didn't need the help or friendship of anyone. But when Tina moves into Flower Bud, the wheels of fate begin to turn. One thing is certain- Jamie's life will never be the same. One shot, sequel in progress.


Okay, this should work- this re-write, I mean. I hope you all enjoy it, and I hope I've gotten better at writing by now. To say one thing, I'll go into characters a bit. Of course, Jamie's a snarky, disgruntled anti-social jerk with a hidden heart of gold, and Tina? She's the way most see her- innocent, bubbly, sweet, and always forgiving (goodness knows she'd need it to be his wife!). But in this story, to make her childlike appearance match her personality, I'm making her a bit mischievous at times.

Disclaimer: It should be painfully apparent that I don't own this game. If I did, Jamie would officially be a dude, and you'd be able to continue the game when you marry him. Heck, this entire story is a result of that wish.

_ Spring third, the start of it all. The Harvest Goddess, who protected the small town of FlowerBud village, was turned to stone one sad, fateful day. The people of the village forgot the important things in life- respecting others, living in harmony, loving one another- and her existence. Seeing no reason to remain in that cave, which had grown dim and cold with loneliness, this spirit of nature encased herself into stone, awaiting someone to bring the village back to its former days of happiness. One young man, the only one who still knew she was even there, made it his mission to awaken her from her cold slumber. However, there was one problem. Though this young man had the skills necessary for his task, there was one thing he never realized- something like this cannot be done alone. Yet still, the young man made it his mission to rescue her, and his mission alone. He was a very cold young man; bitter, and believing that company and love of other people was unneeded and useless. It caused him no sadness to think this way. This was the life he had always known, and he never even thought to change it. Unknown to him, his life was about to change forever..._

It didn't seem like it would be a very eventful day. After all, it started out the same way every day always did. As the first rays of light streamed in through the kitchen window, Jamie was already out of bed, preparing himself for another day of work. He went through his morning routine with scarcely a thought- he had done it so often it didn't really take much effort to remember his daily habits. And, like many other mornings, his thoughts were monopolized by one thing- how to go about saving the Harvest Goddess.

_"This is ridiculous! It's been a whole year, and I've barely gotten anywhere. What could I be doing wrong?"_ Jamie wracked his brain for a solution to the problem that had been plaguing him for so long, and like all other times he had this arguement with himself, he came up with the same answer- nothing. He could think of nothing that he could do. It wasn't that he did a bad job on his farm. He, in fact, did wonderfully. He probably made more money than anyone in the entire village. Each day, he shipped high quality milk, eggs, butter, cheese, and other valuable items without fail. It was probably due to his efforts alone that this town was still standing on its feet!_ "So what am I doing wrong?..."_ he asked himself.

Jamie's quest to find musical notes- the strange objects needed to bring his beloved friend back- was not going very well at all. Apparently, the more things he did well, the more notes he got. Oh sure, he had found quite a few from his farming and ranching endeavors, but that was mostly it. Maybe a few from fishing and mining, which he was also very skilled at. Other than that, it seemed as though he hadn't done much at all. It was a source of constant frustration for Jamie, which probably didn't help the fact that he was grumpy and unfriendly in the first place.

So, shrugging on his multicolored poncho, tightening his purple bandanna, and securing his straw hat in place, he made his way for the door to begin another day of work. He was greeted with a peculiar sight upon walking outside that morning. Most people in the village weren't walking around this early in the morning, so who were the two figures near the river? Jamie took a few steps away from the threshold of his home, hoping to get a better look at this unexpected pair.

_"Of course,"_ he scoffed to himself,_ "How could I not recognize that sickeningly red suit? For goodness' sake, the man looks like a tomato..."_ But wait. Who was that standing next to him? A young girl, jabbering away and waving her hands frantically with a huge smile plastered on her face._ "Ugh, she annoys me already."_

The girl certainly looked annoying. Red shoes, blue jean shorts, a light yellow shirt covered by a pink vest, and a red bandanna around her neck. The worst part of it was her hair._ "Pigtails? She's got** pigtails**? What is she, five?"_ She was like some sort of horribly painted picture- a terrible mess, but for some reason he couldn't look away. As much as Jamie kept to himself, he was always a curious person. And the fact that someone was visiting a small, unheard of village like this- well, who _wouldn't_ wonder why she was there, at least a little bit?

Jamie stood there, eyes still fixed on the pair that had since stopped by the empty lot near the river. The two were gesturing towards the lot, and then Theodore, the mayor, began smiling, and seemed to be even more excited.

Whatever it was, it seemed very important. He was rambling while the girl just stood there, finally a little calmer, with a confused look but a friendly grin on her features. He overheard the words "..could fit some crops...small home...would want bigger land for animals, and..." but that was about it. He stood there, frozen in shock and horror as the reality of the situation dawned on him. This childish, ditzy, incompetent looking girl was planning on FARMING? Was she out of her mind? And she would be living right down the road from him. Just great.

_"Oh yay, a rival to annoy me even more than the brainless citizens of this town I already have to put up with day in and day out."_ he thought to himself sarcastically. His faithful dog, Calvertutrp, trotted up beside him. Inclining his head, he beseeched his owner to speak what was on his mind. Sometimes, it was as though the dog almost understood what Jamie said, and Jamie had no problem with giving the dog some attention every now and then.

He turned his gaze and thoughts once more to the pink girl by the river, who was now back into a bothersome, bubbly attitude. The nerve of this girl! What did she think she could do, just waltz into some random town and suddenly become a successful rancher? There was much more to that, Jamie knew, much more. And this girl just stood there, clueless and infuriatingly oblivious to the difficult days ahead of her. She probably never even thought about just how hard it would be to start her own farm from scratch. Well, he'd teach her a lesson about that- and maybe get her to leave.

"Humph! I'm going to show her who's the best farmer and send her home crying!" he announced with pride. Oh yes, this plan would work perfectly. Once Jamie began to show her just who she was dealing with, the girl would surely run bawling from Flower Bud.

Surprisingly enough, Calvertutrp seemed to have other ideas in mind. He looked at the happy girl by the river, and his tail began to wag. Turning his red eyes to meet the blue eyes of Jamie, he tilted his furry black head to one side.

_'But why not be friends?'_ the dog seemed to say. Jamie was shocked, and affronted. Surely his dog couldn't like that girl! "Because," Jamie spat, "For one, I don't need friends, and two, she probably can't handle this anyway. Just look at her! You think someone like her could build a farm anywhere near one like mine? I have no interest in making friends, especially not with someone as dumb looking as her. Besides, you know I hate peeple."_ (A/N: Inside joke about a typo in one of Jamie's lines, you might not get it.)_

Before the dog could make a silent protest to his owner, Jamie turned his head back to the riverside. Theodore was obviously done, and seemed to be heading home. Theodore and the girl waved goodbye, and began to go their separate ways.

Jamie stood there in his front yard, waiting for what would happen next. Without warning, the girl turned spun around, and her face was finally revealed. Jamie's cold, unyielding blue eyes were greeted by their complete opposites- dark, warm eyes the color of chocolate. They seemed to welcome everything in sight- including Jamie. Suddenly, everything stopped.

He stood there, frozen in place. Unable to think, blink, or even scowl at her like his brain was screaming to do.

And then, she smiled.

A big, friendly, world-loving smile.

And then? He regained his senses. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head._ "What the heck? That was creepy! Get a grip, Jamie, jeez..."_ The girl, however, just stood there and waved at him, not sensing his apparent dislike._ "So, she's sickeningly sweet, like all the others here, eh? Hah! That smile looks so **stupid!"**_ he thought bitterly. Before he had the time to turn around and ignore the girl, she began making her way over to him. Jamie paled, and a sinking sense of dread pulled his stomach into knots._ "Oh please don't tell me she's coming over here, please, please, please..."_

She reached the edge of his property, and gave another smile.

"Hi," she began, "I'm Tina, and-"

"Shut up."

Her joyful expression gave way to shock, and her smile fell from her face. Did he not want to be friends? He didn't seem to bad from so far away. Dressed funny, but then again, everyone had different tastes. Surely, he couldn't be so bad, right?... Locking gazes with him once more, she took a second look at the strange boy before her. _"Yikes, he really doesn't look so happy! Did I do something to make him angry? But all I did was just walk over and say hey..."_ Obviously the boy wasn't interested in making friends, but something behind his cold stare told a different story. Dare she think it? The boy looked... lonely.

And even though he seemed to be content with that- _"Is that even possible?"_ she wondered- what was this feeling that told her she should at least try to befriend him?

Her thoughts were interrupted as he continued speaking. "I don't care about anything you've got to say. I don't want friends. You are the new farmer, right?" he sneered at her, obviously irritated.

She nodded silently, waiting for him to finish, taken back by his cold reaction. "Well," he continued, "I've got news for you. Don't go thinking you're going to have it easy being a farmer here. It's hard, dirty work that I doubt someone like you could handle. Plus, you gotta compete against me, and I'm perfect, so you're not gonna win!" He looked down at her condescendingly.

The girl was silent, seeming to debate with herself._ "Ha!"_ Jamie thought smugly, _"I've got her! I can't believe she'd give up so soon. Oh well, at least now she'll get out of my hair. Good riddance, idiot girl."_

Tina, however, was not thinking along such lines. She could have asked why they couldn't get along, but it was obvious that it would be better to ask that later. More importantly...

"You're that guy." she stated simply. Clearly confused, it was now Jamie's turn to look shocked._ "Do I even want to know?"_ he sighed inwardly. But curiosity got the best of him. "What guy?" he found himself asking slowly. _"What in the world is she talking about? Oh, I bet this girl's nuts. Great."_

"The guy... the one from the dream I had last night. You're... Jamie, right?" she asked with a small smile; one that he actually liked _'No, .no, no!'_ he told himself._ 'I am NOT being nice to her!'_ And how in the world did she know his name? This girl... Tina... was seriously beginning to creep him out.

"How do you know my name?" He growled, voicing his thoughts. The girl's smile grew. "I told you," she said with a childish giggle, "I had a dream where I saw you. It was a strange dream..." she started. Normally, Jamie couldn't have cared less about anything she had to say, especially about some stupid dream, but his jaw almost hit the ground when he heard what she said next.

"There was a forest. It had a little lake, some little waterfalls, and pillars of land. On one of them in the middle was a beautiful statue of a lady. Some cute little sprites told you that she was the Harvest Goddess, and needed to be saved. You promised to rescue her. I woke up then." Her expression turned a little more thoughtful. "I thought it was all fake until I opened my door. The sprites were there, and they explained everything and said that tomorrow they would take me back to the spring to give me something to help me find music notes; they just have to find it first. Then the mayor came and explained things about the town to me, and well, here we are." she finished.

Well, he had certainly never been this shocked in his life. She obviously wasn't lying; no one could just make something like that up. It was all to accurate. Why would she even say these things in the first place, true as they were? Did she want to save the Goddess with him?_ "But I'm not teaming up with her, no way,"_ he thought to himself.

"Well, so what?" he hissed. "I'm not being your friend!" She stayed silent for a moment._ "Finally, shut her up. Ugh!"_

"Okay then," she shrugged. She was lying of course, but he didn't need to know that. Standing there arguing wouldn't help, and it certainly wouldn't make him like her any. No, no, Tina wasn't giving in easy, he'd learn that the hard way.

Jamie actually looked a bit taken back._ "Perfect!_" she thought to her self and suppressed a giggle. Without missing a beat, she began to push on, "I understand you don't want to be friends. But, I'm still going to be a good farmer here."

Jamie regained his composure, and schooled his expression into one of cool disregard. "Alright, but that means we're rivals. You sure you can handle competing with someone like me?"

She nodded to agree and gave him that smile that he secretly liked.

Tina then extended her hand to him._ "Might as well do this right,"_ she reasoned. "May the best farmer win." Jamie's gaped in sudden embarrassment, and tried his best to scowl at her. "I-it's not like you'd last long anyway! Humph!"

Tina's eyes glittered in sudden amusement. Was he blushing just then, or was it her imagination?

They shook hands and that was that. Tina glanced at the watch on her wrist, and decided that was enough for one day. "Well, I have to go now, but I'll be moving in soon. Hey, we'll be neighbors, won't we? I bet we'll see each other a lot," she grinned.

"J-just get outta here before I sic my dog on you!" he stuttered, looking angrier by the second. "Alright, alright!" she said, now laughing openly.

Tina walked back to the eastern edge of the town, walking the path to wherever it was she was living- for now, at least. Once she got a house built in Flower Bud, she could move in for good.

_"Humph...she's gone. Finally."_ Jamie thought. His dog, who was watching silently the whole time, pawed at his master's leg. "Hn?" Jamie asked. "What is it?"

Calvertutrp gave him a sly look._ 'She doesn't seem all that bad. Are you sure you don't want to rethink your opinion of her?'_

"N-no way! I don't need any friends. I'm fine by myself. She's so nice, it sickens me, and there's no way I'd let that clueless ditz try to help me save the goddess!" he retorted. With that, he turned around and stomped towards his crops. The girl had held him up for a considerable amount of time; he'd be lucky if his turnips still came out as well as they usually did. _"Great, just great. Dumb girl ruined my turnips. And my poor animals are probably starving."_

The dog sighed, which apparently meant something like, _'If you say so,'_ Jamie, meanwhile, was busy violently ripping weeds from around his crops, mumbling to himself all the while.

"Humph! Stupid girl, stupid dream, stupid sprites, stupid smile...Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He stood, wiped his brow, and made his way to the barn._ "There's no way I'd be friends with her! She'd mess everything up! Grrr.. Why is she so nice? Why would she even want me as a friend? Do I look nice or something? I'm not nice! I'm mean! I mean, and I don't want anything to do with anybody, especially not her!"_

A short silence.

_"Why am I still even thinking about this? Ugh, that girl is so...so...weird!"_ he berated himself. Besides, there's no way she could make it as a farmer here, let alone TRY and be his friend. It just couldn't work; they were rivals. Rivals can't be friends, that's just not possible. And he didn't want to be her friend anyway!

He didn't. Not ever, ever,_ ever!_

_...Right?_

**END.**

It seems as thought a lot of stuff at the end was good enough to where I didn't need to change it too much... I hope you all liked it! For anyone who like this, stay tuned for my re-write of it's sequel, The Process of Change, which is still a work in progress. See my account for more details.


End file.
